Monday, August 18, 2008

One of the biggest differences from living in "the Lowcountry" of South Carolina as opposed to the Midwest is the wildlife - and since our development is so new, rural and mostly undeveloped, we're quite literally in the middle of the wild.

Here are 10-11 wild turkeys that I see every Sunday morning. They're actually quite large when you see them up close.

Then, of course, there's the alligators(picture not taken in our development, though there is at least one gator in our area).

Besides that there are wild boar, snakes, lizards, crazy prehistoric-looking birds, armadillos, foxes, and God-knows-what else lurking in the wilderness.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

As I've said before, I've always been a fan of adventure movies. So watching "Into the Wild" - a story about a young man rebelling against the status quo by giving his life savings to charity and trekking to Alaska to live in the wilderness alone - was quite a pleasure. Stunning cinematography, a touching story, great acting and commentary on themes such as freedom, forgiveness and materialism made this one of my top films of the year.

"When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines upon you."

"Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth."

Monday, March 10, 2008

Beyond the senses are their objects, and beyond the objects is the mind. Beyond the mind is pure reason, and beyond reason is the Spirit in man.

Beyond the Spirit in man is the Spirit of the universe, and beyond is Purusha (God/Godhead), the Spirit Supreme. Nothing is beyond Purusha: He is the End of the path.

The light of the Atman, man's Spirit, is invisible, concealed in all beings. It is seen by the seers of the subtle, when their vision is keen and is clear.

[from the Katha Upanishad]

Most of the time I'm content to stay within the realm of the very first level - the level of the senses. There's not much depth - just getting by in life, spinning from this project to that project, feeding my belly and doing things that feel good.

Oh how much we miss when we choose not to delve deeper. As Deepak Chopra says, perhaps Jesus' condemnation of "the world" and worldliness is not so much a disdain for the things of this world, but rather an invitation to see outer things as a trap that keeps us from going within to deeper realities.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Last night, while putting up my books after teaching guitar lessons, I spun around and slammed my head into a wall-mounted bookshelf. I mean I really creamed myself. It was so intense, I dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Reaching up to my forehead, I found my fingers covered in blood. Not only did I get a big knot on my noggin, I split it wide open as well.

Some dudes get cool scars from UFC fights and bar brawls. I get one from a damn bookshelf.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

It's been a little while since I've been excited about a new book that is being released. I don't tend to be ahead of the curve that much and only pick up books that have been out for a while. That said, I happened to open an email from Amazon.com about some new releases and found this. As a fan of Mr. Chopra's work (generally) and as someone who is always looking for fresh and ever-widening ways to understand my Christian faith, I'm very much excited to dive in. Watch for a review in the coming weeks.

The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore (Deepak Chopra)

From Amazon.com's book description:

"Who is Jesus Christ?

In The Third Jesus, bestselling author and spiritual leader Deepak Chopra provides an answer to this question that is both a challenge to current systems of belief and a fresh perspective on what Jesus can teach us all, regardless of our religious background. There is not one Jesus, Chopra writes, but three.

First, there is the historical Jesus, the man who lived more than two thousand years ago and whose teachings are the foundation of Christian theology and thought. Next there is Jesus the Son of God, who has come to embody an institutional religion with specific dogma, a priesthood, and devout believers. And finally, there is the third Jesus, the cosmic Christ, the spiritual guide whose teaching embraces all humanity, not just the church built in his name. He speaks to the individual who wants to find God as a personal experience, to attain what some might call grace, or God-consciousness, or enlightenment.

When we take Jesus literally, we are faced with the impossible. How can we truly “love thy neighbor as thyself”? But when we see the exhortations of Jesus as invitations to join him on a higher spiritual plane, his words suddenly make sense.

Ultimately, Chopra argues, Christianity needs to overcome its tendency to be exclusionary and refocus on being a religion of personal insight and spiritual growth. In this way Jesus can be seen for the universal teacher he truly is–someone whose teachings of compassion, tolerance, and understanding can embrace and be embraced by all of us."

Friday, January 04, 2008

This is one of my favorite songs from the movie "Once." The verse chords and melody are simple, the pre-chorus is a little quirky, and then the chorus is flat out amazing. Great songwriting, great choice of lyrics. Enjoy.